Duterte urges Saudi Arabia to invest in the Philippines

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte assured Saudi businessmen during a speech before the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the Philippines was ripe for investment, declaring “there is no corruption in my country”.

Duterte was on a three-day visit to the gulf powerhouse, before visiting Bahrain on April 13 and Qatar on April 14 during a week-long trip to the Middle East to shore up ties and secure investment. The Mindanao region in the southern Philippines was identified as “ready for investment” in halal food security, energy security and tourism.

“We need investments in my country, and if you may want to go there and invest, we can give you the best place and best advice to go about earning in my country,” added Duterte.

He went on to thank Saudi Arabia for hosting Filipino overseas foreign workers of which there are currently an estimated 760,000 plying their trade in the oil-rich nation, mostly domestic workers.

“I have to make the trip to thank you, Saudi Arabia, for hosting almost a million workers here. I hope that their industry (helps) your economy because they also help my country,” he said.

This is despite the fact many migrants are poorly treated and sometimes not paid, and in 2016 around 5,000 were repatriated from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines for various reasons.

Duterte, during his presidential campaign promised to make concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) his top labour priority. He held an open forum in Riyadh attended by 2,000 OFWs who raised their concerns and hailed him for being the president that has helped them.

He will be returning to the Philippines having secured the release of 160 undocumented OFWs who were victims of illegal recruiters.

Philippine Assistant Foreign Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana added that Duterte “discussed with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar matters relevant to the welfare and dignity of the Filipinos living in their countries”.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte assured Saudi businessmen during a speech before the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the Philippines was ripe for investment, declaring “there is no corruption in my country”.

Duterte was on a three-day visit to the gulf powerhouse, before visiting Bahrain on April 13 and Qatar on April 14 during a week-long trip to the Middle East to shore up ties and secure investment. The Mindanao region in the southern Philippines was identified as “ready for investment” in halal food security, energy security and tourism.

“We need investments in my country, and if you may want to go there and invest, we can give you the best place and best advice to go about earning in my country,” added Duterte.

He went on to thank Saudi Arabia for hosting Filipino overseas foreign workers of which there are currently an estimated 760,000 plying their trade in the oil-rich nation, mostly domestic workers.

“I have to make the trip to thank you, Saudi Arabia, for hosting almost a million workers here. I hope that their industry (helps) your economy because they also help my country,” he said.

This is despite the fact many migrants are poorly treated and sometimes not paid, and in 2016 around 5,000 were repatriated from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines for various reasons.

Duterte, during his presidential campaign promised to make concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) his top labour priority. He held an open forum in Riyadh attended by 2,000 OFWs who raised their concerns and hailed him for being the president that has helped them.

He will be returning to the Philippines having secured the release of 160 undocumented OFWs who were victims of illegal recruiters.

Philippine Assistant Foreign Secretary Hjayceelyn Quintana added that Duterte “discussed with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar matters relevant to the welfare and dignity of the Filipinos living in their countries”.